


An Unexpected Encounter

by NS1mmons



Category: CSI: NY, NCIS: Los Angeles, Numb3rs (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-17
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2020-12-22 08:22:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,597
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21072956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NS1mmons/pseuds/NS1mmons
Summary: Its been just over a month but Spiral refuses to let them go just yet. A surprise visit from an out-of-state Detective throws the team sideways. **This is a crossover with CSI:NY, but only refers to the show/characters/events, also a crossover with Numb3rs. This is entirely AU, non-profit, rated M just to be safe, and is a rewrite of my story with the same name on fanfiction.net. **





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This is, as stated, a rewrite of a piece I published on fanfiction.net a while ago. I've come back to it, done some serious editing and am ready to start publishing it on here. The chapters are a lot shorter to make editing and updating easier for myself, though there is the chance they may grow over time. Read, and hopefully enjoy.

Chapter One

Two weeks. Two weeks off and he was slowly descending into madness. Damn the doctors and their stupid warnings, he physically could not stand another day off. Even riding the desk and filling out the copious amounts of paperwork that came with the job was a better alternative. Anything would beat sitting at home doing nothing. He justified this need to be out because technically he had been off for a month, spending the first two weeks unconscious in Druid Hills, Georgia. But G. Callen was not a man who could sit idly by for an extended period of time. It simply was not in his nature. Technically he should have spent more time in Georgia, and should probably still be there right now, but after the fourth escape attempt from CDC headquarters, his doctors had come to an agreement with him – if he had two weeks of quiet activity then they would release him early.  
At least this time he had managed eight days without going into OSP. Normally he would have returned to work after three days. But this time his boss, and her boss, had formally threatened to sack him if he had turned up before at least seven days had passed since his medical discharge. And despite his reputation of being a lone wolf and not following orders, Callen found that he did not want to leave his job at NCIS, nor this team. Finally he had found something he liked, and people that he had managed to stay with for nearly eight years. The longest he had ever spent somewhere.

But enough was finally enough because today was the 5th February, exactly a month since he had been subjected to the brand spanking new biochemical weapon, Spiral. Seventeen days since he had woken up in a hospital bed in Georgia. And fourteen days since he had been allowed to return home to LA, the land of the rich, famous, and quite frankly insane part of human society. Today Callen was returning to work, Hetty, Granger and Vance be damned. He had done what was requested…no demanded of him, and had managed to stay away from OSP for eight whole days. The fifth of February was the eleventh day since he had stepped back into his house (after spending three additional days at the hospital in LA) and Callen was going back to work. Due to his insomnia, which seemed to have become increasingly more pronounced since he had not been working, he had been up since 0400 hours, so by 0800 he was walking out of his house and making his way down to his car when an extremely familiar car pulled up in front of him.  
Unable to stop the smirk Callen crossed the street and climbed into the passenger seat of the black Challenger, waiting until he had shut the car door and buckled himself in before turning to look at his partner with a raised eyebrow. “Am I really that predictable?”

Senior Special Agent Sam Hanna snorted as he put the car into drive and pulled out onto the road. “G, I’ve been partnered with your sorry ass for the last seven years. Pretty sure the only person who knows you better than me is Hetty. Why do you think she banned you from the Mission for the last week? If you had your way you’d have been in last Wednesday.”

Callen had to laugh. “Well I have been jumping out of my skin for the past few days, so I guess you’re right. For once.” He glanced over at Sam who merely rolled his eyes. The pair of them had missed their usual banter, and it was painfully obvious that the next couple of days would be filled with them getting it out of their systems. Much to the chagrin of the rest of the team. “How has the office been? Any new cases?”

“Pretty quiet for a change. Well Deeks is still there so not all that quiet.” The two men laughed. “We’ve only had the one case, a dead corporal at Pendleton which turned out to be a drug bust. Apart from that it’s been the usual paperwork and trying to avoid the ninja.”

Sam and Callen continued to catch up on what the younger man had missed whilst being out on sick leave as they drew closer to the office. Pulling into his usual parking space Sam killed the engine before looking over at his partner. “Ready to face the lion?”

“I thought you said Granger was still in DC,” Callen joked as he hoisted himself out of the car, grabbing his bag on the way.

Sam rolled his eyes at G’s grin. “I meant Hetty you dolt.”

“I wouldn’t call Hetty a lion. She’s a tiger.”

“Nope, that’s all Kensi.”

“So that would make you…the resident elephant?”

Sam sent his partner a level look. “Keep it up. You’ll be back in the hospital before you realise it.” Callen’s laugh followed them into the building.

Their minuscule boss (Callen would never dream of calling her that to her face, even mentally) wasn’t at her desk when they walked inside, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t there. The miniature ninja had the disturbing habit of popping up unannounced and scaring the crap out of all of them. And it still disturbed him as to just how much she knew about everything. The two men had just settled at their desks, Callen looking slightly worried at the amount of paperwork sitting on his (why had he been so eager to come back again?) when the voices of their two teammates drifted in from the carpark.

“You have to try it Kens. Nothing beats a morning set.”

“Nothing except an extra hour in bed you idiot. You will never get me out there that early.”

“Why not Kensilina? Can you not see it? 6 in the morning, nothing there except the sand and the sea. No one else there, no one watching us.” Callen could hear the grin in the words.

Kensi Blye and Marty Deeks finally came into view, the pair of them so engrossed in their banter as they walked into the bullpen that neither of them noticed Callen sitting at his desk watching them. it took him clearing his throat twice for them to turn around, both jumping before shouting out their surprise at the same time.

“Holy mother…”

“What are you…”

Sam shook his head as Callen coughed out a laugh whilst leaning back in his seat. “Good to see you too. Now what the hell are you going on about this time?”

Deeks grinned. Callen knew he could hear the smile in his voice. “Well it’s like this. I’m trying to convince Kenz here that coming down to the beach with me early hours is a great idea. There’s no one else there…”

“And like I told him, there is no way in hell I would be getting up at an ungodly hour to spend yet more time with him when I could be at home wrapped up in my duvet. It’s bad enough I have to spend most of my working hours with the man, why would I want to be with him outside of work.”

“Ahh but you would love it. Imagine what we could get up to in those few hours…”

“And that is the very reason why I am not meeting up with you Deeks. Ever.”

“What?! All I was going to say was surfing. What were you thinking about Kensilina?” Kensi had finally sat down at her desk, after giving Callen his customary welcome back hug, and her only response to Deeks was to throw a pencil at him. Sharpened, of course. It bounced off of his head and clattered as it hit the floor. The Detective yelped and rubbed his head, winking at Kensi as he gave Callen his own welcome back greeting, a slightly sandy high-five. As Callen was wiping the sand off his hand an ear-piercing whistle parted the air and the four looked up the stairs at Eric who grinned at them.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, the clock is ticking, time to get kicking. Good to see you Callen.” He waved his hand slightly before making his way back over to OPS.

The team stood and started over to the stairs, Deeks providing the usual commentary. “Now he rhymes. Also why does Eric say that? Its only us and Kens…OW!” Kensi had punched him in the arm. “What was that for?”

“Do you really want to finish that sentence Deeks?” Kensi stared at him, an eyebrow raised. Deeks opened his mouth to reply before shaking his head and carrying on up the stairs in silence.

Sam chuckled and asked Callen quietly. “And you wanted to come back why?”

* * *

The two men were still laughing when they walked into OPS, G slowing down slightly when he saw his boss and Operations Manager, Henrietta Lange, standing in front of the main screen. “Morning Hetty.”

“Mr Callen, you are not supposed to be back at work for at least another five days.” The tone of her voice was the same as ever, making it impossible for anyone to know whether she was angry at G, or simply resigned to see him.

Callen shrugged. “You told me to stay away for sever days. I did. In fact I stayed away for eight. Now I’m back, and ready to work.”

Hetty couldn’t help but sigh, her eyes twinkling slightly whilst taking in the appearance of her Senior Agent in Charge. It was painfully obvious that he was better, except for the faint shadows under his eyes. No more than she expected to be honest. “In that case, welcome back Mr Callen. Now you will all be pleased to know that you have not been called up for a new case. What you will not be pleased to know is we are returning, albeit briefly, to an old one. Maybe it is fate that you returned today Mr Callen, as we are going back to Spiral.”

A collective flinch that could have been deemed a passable attempt as a Mexican wave passed through the room at the name of the bio-chemical weapon that had so nearly claimed the life of their team leader. Callen merely looked down at Hetty and waited for her to continue, determined to ignore the way his gut churned.  
“It is not technically Spiral we are focusing on; the CDC has all of that under control. We are looking into the Celtic Militia who tried to steal the drug. It appears that this may not be the first time that this particular group has become involved with American authorities.” Callen frowned at that; as far as he had been aware this was the first time the Irish group had attempted anything on American soul. Unsurprisingly it was Sam who voiced the question Callen had been thinking; scarily it was almost word for word what he had thought about.

“It would appear that this is not the case Mr Hanna. Our Irish…friends…were rather active it seems about eight years ago. I do not have all of the specifics yet…” Callen couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow in surprise, “…but there is a young woman awaiting your arrival at the boatshed. She has just arrived from Washington and has requested to be informed on everything we know about this Militia. Mr Callen, you and Mr Hanna will go over to the boatshed to meet with her. Mr Beale and Miss Jones will send over what we have once it has been compiled together. Any questions?”

Deeks was in the process of opening his mouth when Hetty spoke again. “You and Miss Blye will be attending to the paperwork that has made a home on your desks. That is all.” With that their boss left the room, leaving the Detective floundering like a fish. Sam and Callen left OPS chuckling, followed eventually by Kensi dragging her partner out by his ear.


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

The black Challenger pulled up at the Marina, Callen rolling out of the passenger seat with a grin plastered on his face. “And this is why I keep telling you to be nice to her. You know how she gets.”

“This is coming from the man whose mission in life is to antagonise every person he comes into contact with,” came Sam’s monotone reply, almost as if they had had this conversation a thousand times. “Anyway I didn’t do anything. She’s in one of her moods again.”

Callen shook his head, the grin refusing to fade. By this point the two men had made it down to the wooden building. Opening the door Callen walked straight into the lounge area, noting the woman who stood with her back to the door, apparently unaware she had company. She had a hand to her ear and was murmuring softly, indicating she was on the phone. Turning her head slightly the woman noticed the two agents, nodded and held up a finger indicating she would be a minute. Sam headed over to the kitchenette to grab a coffee for himself whilst Callen took a seat at the table, casting a practised eye over their guest. The first thing that caught his eye was her hair. Despite the fact that it was caught up in a twist three things were immediately obvious; it was long, unruly (as told from the mass of curly strands that had escaped from the knot) and it was red. As in sunset, flame red. Tearing his eyes away Callen noticed she was speaking Greek and talking with an impeccable accent. The air of authority and her stance screamed law enforcement, along with the Glock riding her right hip. So not a paper pusher, which had been his first thought when he had heard of their DC visitor. After thirty seconds she finished her conversation and snapped her phone shut. Pushing it into a pocket in her pants she turned and walked over to them. “Sorry about that. A minor incident with the Greek Embassy back home.” Her voice was soft and yet managed to carry an air of authority, without any trace of an accent. Callen stood up and offered a hand which she shook.

“Special Agent Callen, NCIS. This is my partner, Special Agent Hanna.”

“Detective T-Driscoll, but call me Kimberly please. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Kimberly took the seat Callen indicated.

“Then its Callen and Sam. Would you like a drink?”

The woman…Kimberly, shook her head and waited for Callen to take a seat. “I apologise for the short notice. A colleague of mine was supposed to be coming through LA in a few days to pick everything up but sickness ensued, so I’ve come out slightly earlier than expected.”

Sam shrugged. “It’s no worry. You said Detective, you with Washington PD then?”

Kimberly grinned as she shook her head. “NYPD actually. I work in the crime lab. I was at a conference in Washington that was…less than stimulating you could say.”

“Our boss said you were here in regard to the Celtic Militia, and that they had been active in the US before. Only our searches didn’t suggest they had been active in the States till now.” Callen drummed his fingers against the table as he looked at the woman sitting opposite them.

“That would be due to the fact that they haven’t been active in America for the last eight years. And they didn’t have any links to bio-chemical terrorism plots until a month ago, when they surfaced here in LA.” Kimberly drew a tablet out of a bag at her side, turned it on and handed it to Callen. He started flicking through the documents on the screen as Kimberly carried on. “Eight years ago the NYPD took part in a regular drug-bust. Only it was a big case, one which took place about three months before I officially joined the NYPD. Events ensured, the Irish gang raided the lab where the drugs were being held, and to cut a long story incredibly short they were killed and half the lab was blown up. To this day I still haven’t found out who was behind that part.” A ghost of a smile crossed her face, she had her suspicions.

“And what do you think connects the two groups? Apart from the fact that they are…were both Irish?” Sam took the tablet from Callen and started to go over the material, scanning over the information the NYPD had on the Irish drug-gang.

“That’s the reason I’m here. Call it what you will Agents but there are just too many similarities. Not so much in the cases clearly, but in the people.” The Detective pulled a bottle of water out of her bag and took a swig, waiting for the men to reply.

Callen’s phone chimed; pulling it out he read the message from OPS. “Our analysts have downloaded all of our information on the Militia. Someone should be here with it in about fifty minutes.”

Kimberly rubbed her eyes. “There isn’t anyway that can be quicker? I’m supposed to be on the one o’clock flight back to New York, if I can make it.”

Sam and G traded a look before the former stood up, pulling out his phone. “I’ll be right back.” He walked to the door, dialling Hetty’s number.

Callen looked back at their visitor. “Why the rush getting back?”

Kimberly sighed heavily. “For starters if I don’t make that flight I have to wait until tomorrow morning. That’s when the next flight with any available seats becomes available. Like I said, this was all last minute. We’re in a bit of a staffing crisis back home right now, half of the lab techs are off sick with some crazy flu, two of the CSI’s are out on maternity/paternity leave and my un…boss is on personal leave. In all honesty I shouldn’t have been in Washington, but the sodden conference had been on the books for months, and had been rescheduled twice already. Sufficed to say, everyone is run ragged. If it had been anyone else who had asked me to come out here I’d have said no, but it was my boss and I can never say no to him. Plus if I hadn’t come out here now, there was no way of knowing how long it would take for someone else to come out here, and I have a horrible feeling we need this information as soon as possible.”

Callen grinned even as he felt a flicker of unease at her last words. “Well I certainly know the whole feeling run ragged part.” He had also noticed her slip of the tongue, but didn’t mention it and she didn’t elaborate. Why call attention to it?

Sam came back into the room. “So we’re about to do something we have only done like twice in the past god-knows how many years. Our…office…is between here and the airport, so we can drop you off for your flight after swinging by our place to pick up the files.”

Kimberly grinned, standing up. “That’s great to hear. I’m sorry to be a pain and disrupt your protocols.”

Sam shook his head as he ushered her outside. “It’s nothing. I just hope that what we can give you will be helpful.”

* * *

The drive back to OSP was surprisingly fast; for once it seemed that the traffic light gods were smiling down on them. At least, that’s what Sam was saying. Callen replied that it was probably just Eric being nice to them. Kimberly could tell the subject must be a regular source of banter between the two men, too many of the lines sounded practically rehearsed. And although they were hiding it well, she could tell they were trying to use it to mask their rising tension. The car almost reeked of it. She guessed, correctly, it was due to the proximity to their base of operations, and that they didn’t usually bring guests in. Who in the seven hells were these people?

Kimberly decided to break the ice by clearing her throat. “You know, I don’t really need to see where it is you lot work. I’m guessing it’s more than a little bit secret, what with all the special secret agent titles you’re both rocking. All I need is the files you’ve got. Why don’t you drop me off somewhere, go and grab the info then come and meet me? It’s not like I need two chauffeurs to take me to the airport anyway, do I?” She grinned at the two men.

Callen snorted under his breath. Where they really being that obvious? He traded a glance with his partner who was wearing an expression he was sure was on his own face, before nodding. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Also means you can pick up lunch on the way back G.”

“Woah, who said it would be me?”

“I just did. It’s your turn to do the lunch run remember. Two birds, one stone.”

Callen shook his head. “It’s Monday, you pick up lunch on Monday’s old man.”

“Normally, but you’re buying all week. Penance for all the food runs I did for you last week.”

“Which I never asked you to do.”

“And you would have starved. You’re buying.”

Callen settled back in his seat, grumbling half-heartedly to himself. Then he heard the Detective choking back a laugh and it made him smile despite trying not to.  
Three blocks away from base Sam pulled over into the carpark of a small diner. Callen let himself out before pulling the passenger seat of the Challenger forward, offering Kimberly his hand. Shooting him a small smile Kimberly placed her hand in his, startling slightly by the shock generated from their combined hands. Apart from swallowing the Detective showed no sign of acknowledging whatever the hell that was and allowed him to pull her from the car. Straightening up she looked at Callen, her eyes dancing. “Thanks.”

Callen held her hand a split second longer than necessary before dropping it, already hearing his partner’s internal cat calls. “I’ll be about twenty minutes, hopefully. Keep an eye out for a silver Jaguar.”

Kimberly nodded. “Not a problem. I need to make a few calls anyway.” With that the woman turned and headed over to the diner, pulling her phone out as she walked. Callen got back into the car and shut the door, watching her retreating form as Sam pulled out into the traffic. His resolve to ignore his partner crumbled the second he heard the older man chuckle.

“What?” Why ask, he already knew exactly what the answer was going to be.

Sam was shaking his head, a grin stretching his face. “Nothing G. Absolutely nothing.”

Callen’s only reply was a raised eyebrow.


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

“…sounds like it is the same group, but I won’t know for certain till I’ve looked over it all…yes I know that, but it’s been eight years, you of all people know how much a person can change in a year, let alone a group, and they’ve had eight…no I am not grasping at straws. I’m telling you this is the same group, and I don’t think they’re done. Call it a gut feeling all you want I know I’m right. And when we find out I am steps need to be taken…I know. That’s your job isn’t it? Look my flight leaves in two hours okay. I should be landing about 20:00…no, NY time. Yes I’ll let you know when I’m boarding the damn plane.” Slender fingers snapped the phone shut and green eyes gazed out of the window.

“That’ll be $2.50 darlin’.” The cocky voice snapped Kimberly out of her thoughts. Turning she saw the kid behind the counter holding out a flimsy paper cut filled to the brim with coffee. Handing over a $5 note and muttering that he could keep the change she gingerly took hold of the cup (Christ above, how hot?!) before smiling at the kid and stepping away from the counter. Darlin’? Had he really just called her that? The kid couldn’t be more than 21, at a push. Kimberly walked over to the counter overlooking the parking lot, carefully setting the cup down and reached out for the sweetener packets. Normally she wouldn’t add anything, but the liquid in the cup looked like dishwater masquerading as coffee.

Kimberly sighed heavily, trying to focus her mind, but her thoughts were drifting. Instead of thinking about the case like she should have been doing, her brain was stupidly stuck on the comment the kid made. Darlin’. She almost snorted. Now she was being hit on by teenagers. Naturally. Of course it didn’t help that she looked about five years younger than her actual age. Her height and the fact she had no figure at all didn’t help the situation, she was more often than not mistaken for being 20 rather than 25. Fecking fan…for crying out loud! She was doing it again!

“You know, the coffee really isn’t all that bad.” A voice coming from Kimberly’s left had her jumping out of her skin. Naturally the extremely full cup of very hot liquid was in her hand, so it was almost inevitable that more than half the contents spilled from the cup over her hand. Wincing Kimberly dropped the cup onto the counter. “Crap I’m sorry. You okay?”

She grabbed a napkin and started wiping her hand off whilst turning her head to see the newcomer. She was half-expecting to see the kid from the counter, so was taken back by the man staring at her. Mid-to-late 30s, maybe, with short dark hair slightly spiked at the front and dark brown eyes that were looking at her in concern. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. Sorry, my head’s been stuck in the clouds lately.”

The man chuckled as he also grabbed some napkins and helped to mop up the spilled dishwater…coffee. “I could see that. I mean, I know the coffee here isn’t that great, but what with the way you were glaring at it, you seemed like you wanted to throw it into a vat of nuclear waste.”

Kimberly couldn’t help but laugh. “Well I never got round to having a sip, but it certainly didn’t look particularly inviting.” She sighed. “I just have a million and ten things on my mind at the moment; being in LA is not helping matters at all.” The man looked at her confused so she elaborated. “I’m from New York, over here on business. But now on my way back, thank god.”

“Oh come on, LA can’t be quite that bad can it?”

“No, there’s nothing wrong with the place. But like I said, a million things on my mind, and then some. The last few months have been stressful, and work just is not letting up at all. Everyone’s starting to feel the strain, and me being away for a week is not helping. Well, hopefully it will, just not in the short-run.”

“So why are you out here then? If you don’t mind me asking.” The dark haired man was looking at her curiously.

“Something happened here in LA that is potentially related to something that took place in New York a few years back. Someone needed to come out here to obtain the information and I was already out of the city, at a conference in Washington. Technically it isn’t exactly on the way home, nut it was easier for me to make the detour seeing as I was already ‘out of the office’ as it were, rather than go back to New York and someone else have to come out here.”

He nodded. “I see. And did you get what you needed?”

Okay, maybe a little too curious? Kimberly was beginning to feel a little cautious. The man didn’t appear to be fishing for information, in fact he seemed like he was a genuinely nice guy. But the information she was privy to (and in the process of receiving) could be dangerous if it feel into the wrong hands. Some days, it was never too bad to be too careful. “Yeah, I’m on my way to the airport now.”

“Do you need a lift? I can’t imagine you’re driving around here.”

Kimberly raised an eyebrow, unsure whether to feel insulted or not. “And why is that?”

“It’s just people who aren’t from LA don’t really rend to drive here. It can be a nightmare.” He grinned.

Kimberly coughed out a laugh. “Well, you’re right, I haven’t driven here. But try driving in Manhattan. If you can conquer the traffic there, you’re set for driving pretty much anywhere.” She shook her head. “There was no point in me driving here. I only arrived a few hours ago, this is a pit stop more than anything.”

“So do you need a lift?”

She couldn’t help but laugh. “Wow, you don’t let up do you. Thanks but no, someone’s already on their way to take me there.”

“Sorry, that probably came across as some kind of pick-up line. It’s not, honest. But at least let me buy you a new drink. It’s the least I can do, considering I caused you to drop your first one.” He actually looked so embarrassed about what had happened Kimberly had to fight to keep a smile off her face.

She was just about to answer when a flash caught her eye. Turning to look out of the window she saw, just as promised, a silver Jaguar edging its way into the parking lot. Kimberly wasn’t sure if she was relieved to see it or not. She turned back to the man with a regretful smile. “I’d love to say yes and find out if the coffee really does taste as bad as it looks, but I can’t. My ride’s here, and I’m on a really tight schedule.”

The man nodded, smiling. “Well I’d say another time then, but if you’re going back to New York I don’t think that’ll be any time soon.”

Kimberly laughed, grabbing her bag and running a hand through her hair. “Probably not, but you never know. It was nice to meet you though, despite the spillage of a dubious, potentially lethal chemical.”

He laughed in return. “The coffee really isn’t that bad; you just have your standards set too high. Still, probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do, startling someone whose holding a full cup of hot coffee.” He paused briefly before adding, “It was nice to meet you too,”

“I'm Kimberly.”

He grinned, holding out a hand. “Don.”

Typical, she thought even as she smiled warmly at him, shaking his hand before turning and heading for the exit, taking care not to look over her shoulder as she went. _Flack will sure get a kick out of this one._


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter ended up being a little longer than the others, but believe it or not it is shorter than the one I had original published; I just couldn't find a better ending for it than the one I already had. Enjoy!

Chapter Four

Callen killed the engine and glanced at his watch before looking over to the diner. Twenty-eight minutes. Damn. Maybe the favour of the traffic gods had been short-lived. Or Hetty was peeved with him. The likelier of the two scenarios. Not seeing Kimberly in the lot he pulled the key out of the ignition and was just about to get out of the car when the door to the diner opened and the woman in question stepped outside. He raised a hand in a wave as she started making her way over to him. Flicking the lock switch so she could open the passenger door he watched as she slid into the car. “Sorry for the wait. Traffic’s piling up again.”

Kimberly grinned, shutting the door as she put her bag on the floor between her feet. “Don’t worry about it. I hadn’t even noticed the time if I’m honest.” She clicked her seatbelt into place as he started the car and pulled out onto the street. He saw her raise her hand briefly and when he turned his head he could see a man standing in front of the diner returning the gesture.

“Making friends?” Fuck, did he sound jealous?

“Something like that I guess.” He saw her rubbing her hand out of the corner of his eye, a hand that was looking rather red, but he refrained from saying anything. “I’d have brought you a coffee but after looking at it I decided dehydration was a better way to go.” She saw Callen raise an eyebrow. “What? Anything beats poisoning.”

Callen swallowed, his hands clenching the steering wheel almost reflexively. “Yeah. It certainly does.”

Kimberly shrugged. “Sorry, I’m sleep deprived, and I tend to ramble when I’m around strangers.”

Callen couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Don’t worry. If you’d met some of the people I have to work with, you’d realise I’m more than used to it.” His mind drifted to the two analysts and the detective on his team.

She nodded. “I can say the same about my own team. Though usually they’re the one who have to put up with me, not the other way round.” She paused. “So, you probably get this all the time, but I have to ask; how long have you and Agent Hanna been working together?”

Callen snorted. They were only asked that question once a month. “Where are we now, 2015 so…seven years, maybe eight. In all honestly I’ve lost track, but it’s the longest partnership I’ve had.”

Kimberly whistled. “Wow, eight years. And neither of you have killed each other yet?”

“Trust me, it’s not for lack of trying.” She glanced at him questioningly. “All in the line of duty I promise, “he added quickly. “Several times it’s come rather close. Though usually it’s me on the receiving end.”

Kimberly grinned. “That sounds familiar. I’m nearly always the one who ends up looking down the barrel of a gun, drives my boss mad. Probably why I suck at working with a partner, its far better for me to work on my own.”

Callen stole a glance at his passenger as they waited at yet another set of traffic lights. She was staring out of the window, her hand tapping absently against her thigh. With the air-con on, the loose strands of her hair were waving gently in the breeze, brushing against her neck. Feeling eyes on her Kimberly turned her head, raising an eyebrow when she caught him staring.

He cleared his throat and flashed a grin at her, turning back as the lights changed. She grinned slightly, biting her lip as she turned back to look out of the window.

* * *

What in the name of sanity was he doing here? ‘You’ve known her for all of two hours you idiot. Get your head out of the gutter.’ After the whole Joelle fiasco at Christmas there was no way in hell that he was even going to think about anything to do with a woman. Okay, so that sounded a little weird, but it just was not going to happen. Not in his line of work. And after Tracy, he just knew it was a mistake to get involved with someone from law enforcement. Just no.

She was beautiful though, the red-headed Detective. And a man could look right. He wasn’t dead damn it. Yet anyway.

* * *

Alright, so he was kind of hot. In a weird, rugged, semi-urban sort of way. If that was a term. Probably not. The first thing she noticed about him was his eyes. Windows into the soul was something she’d read once, and with the LA Agent, it certainly seemed to be true.

Although she was staring out of the window, very resolutely she might add, her eyes kept darting to his reflection. Silently she cursed her screwed up sense of luck. She shouldn’t have even been in the city, should never have met him. Then again, she was glad she had, because damn it she was not dead and it was nice to meet someone who knew her, or only wanted one thing from her. Hell, even diner Don wasn’t all that bad looking. At the same time though, she knew there was no way she could ever get involved. Not only was there an entire country between their homes…Alex’s name sprang to mind and she fought to supress a shiver. She just couldn’t.

But there was no harm in looking. Right?

* * *

Twenty five minutes later they finally reached LAX, the traffic more or less co-operating during the drive. Callen pulled into the drop-off zone and killed the engine. “Thank you for the ride. Certainly a lot cheaper than a taxi.” He turned to see Kimberly rubbing her eyes and grinned at her.

“And quicker. Traffic in this city is a nightmare.”

She shrugged. “You should see Manhattan, it’s just as bad. Still, it’s nice to have a change of scenery. And blue sky, I’d almost forgotten what that looked like.”

Callen laughed. “It’s definitely one of the nicest places I’ve worked in, which is saying something.” He grabbed a thick file off the back seat and handed it over. “This is copies of everything we have on the militia. And this has the electronic data, everything our analysts have been able to find.” He pulled a flash drive out of his jacket pocket and handed it over, watching as Kimberly put it all in her bag.

“Thank you. I have no idea if any of this will be helpful, but I can’t get rid of this gut feeling. My boss wants to make sure this isn’t anything more than it appears to be.”

Callen nodded. “Well from what I’ve been able to tell, between our encounter and your story, I don’t think the two cases are related. We weren’t able to tie those involved in with anything else that has happened in America. If we do find anything though, we’ll be sure to let you know.” He pulled out his wallet and handed her a card, one of the few he had. “If your team finds anything, will you tell us?”

Kimberly nodded as she took the card. “Absolutely. And yes, if you can do the same that would be great, thank you.” She pulled out her purse and was tucking his card away whilst pulling out one of her own to pass to him when he caught sight of a photograph. It looked like it had been taken at a wedding, not too long ago.

“That your family?” The detective glanced down at the photo and smiled softly, running a thumb across the picture.

“Kind of. My personal life…it’s several kinds of complicated.”

“Yours isn’t the only one. Trust me.”

Kimberly looked up at him and grinned, her eyes dancing. “Thank you Agent Callen. I’d better get going, I’ll be planning my own funeral if I miss this flight.”

She opened the door to climb out just as Callen’s brain completely short circuited. “If you ever come back this way, I’ll show you some places that are far more interesting than our old boatshed.”

Kimberly laughed as she closed the door, leaning in through the window he rolled down. “I may just have to take you up on that offer Agent. Likewise, if you’re ever in New York…” She trailed off with a wink.

He grinned. “It was nice to meet you Detective.”

“You too, Special Agent.” Kimberly straightened up and headed over to the terminal, forcing herself not to look back at the man who was so blatantly ignoring the five minute only warning sign directly in front of his car.

* * *

Callen shook his head in disbelief. Gah!! What in the blazes did he just say that for? Watching the woman walk away though brought a strange tightening feeling in his chest. Determined to ignore it he turned the ignition over and went to put the car in drive when something in the passenger footwell caught his eye. Frowning he reached over, knowing full well there had been nothing in the car when he had gotten into it earlier.

It was a photograph, fairly old judging from the wear and tear it had sustained. Callen unfolded it and gently eased out the creases. It was faded, but he was still able to make out the three people in the frame. Two women and a man. The younger woman was almost instantly recognisable as Kimberly – there was no way that hair could belong to anyone else. The man stood behind her with one arm wrapped around her shoulders in a warm embrace. His other arm was around the second woman who was also hugging Kimberly. Their relation to the now Detective was a mystery, Callen wandered idly even as he was trying to make the older woman out. He had to squint to make out her face; the camera’s focus hadn’t been that great. When his brain finally registered who he was looking at he gasped. Impossible!!

* * *

Callen almost fell out of his car as he was scrambling for his phone. The agent cursed his luck for the umpteenth time when he saw a traffic warden approaching him, but cut her off by flashing his badge in her face. “Federal Agent,” he snapped at the woman and lifted the phone to his ear, hoping he wouldn’t be kept waiting. Brushing past the warden he ran into the terminal whilst looking out for the detective. She was in a hurry so he made a split-second decision and ran towards the check-in desks.

A click echoed over the phone line, followed by the calm voice of his Operations Manager. “Mr Callen, I hope you’re not driving…”

“Just how much do we know about that Detective Hetty?” Callen cut her off impatiently, scanning the crowds as he headed deeper into the building.

“Enough to clear her entrance into OSP Mr Callen. Why do you ask?”

“Because I’ve just found a picture that can only have fallen from her in my car. You’re not going to like whose in it.”

He dimly heard Hetty sigh down the phone as he scanned the check-in desks. Not seeing Kimberly he started to head over to the security checkpoints. “And who are the people in the picture Mr Callen?”

“Look at the email I just sent you.” As the agent spoke an email icon appeared in the corner of Hetty’s laptop. Feeling more than a little exasperated she opened it to reveal the image her senior agent was worked up over. “See anyone you recognise?”

Hetty frowned as she glanced over the three people in the picture. Then she froze, and looked back at the taller of the two women. Eyes widening she sank back in her chair.

Callen waited for his boss to speak whilst skirting round a crowd of Chinese tourists. Finally he heard her voice, just as the security gates came into view and he laid eyes on Kimberly, standing in a queue of people waiting to go through.

“Oh bugger.”

* * *

The list of things she hated wasn’t long, but at the top was airports. She hated them with a passion. When given the choice she would drive. But travelling on the road from Washington to California wasn’t exactly feasible, especially on her time scale. Fortunately she had been able to check in online, and had no hold luggage, so she could pass straight through into the departures lounge.

However, there was no way Kimberly could avoid the security check-point. As a police officer it was more than crucial she went through them because she was carrying her service weapon, her backup and an extra clip. After the events of the previous year she never went anywhere unarmed. At least she was able to block out the people around her with music, and whilst all she wanted to do was sit down and start going through the information she’d received, she would have to wait until she was back in the office; the information she was carrying was far too sensitive to be read in such a public location.

When she was finally able to pass into the checkpoint she sighed in relief, yanking the earbuds out and storing them in her bag. She took off the only piece of jewellery on her – a long gold chain with a small pendant attached – and put it in the tray along with her bag. She pulled her badge from her back pocket and handed it over to the security guard along with a letter stating she was carrying weapons and cleared to use them if she deemed it necessary. Just as she was about the present said weapons Kimberly heard her name being called. Turning around she saw Agent Callen heading over to her.

Raising an eyebrow she watched as he ducked under the railings, and took a step forward as he came up to her, his face devoid of any emotions. She frowned, a feeling of unease settling in her stomach. “Is everything okay Agent…”

He cut her off. “I need you to come with me. Something…something’s come up.”

Kimberly couldn’t quite catch the startled laugh that left her. “You are joking right? You realise my plane leaves in an hour. I can’t stay Callen; I have to get back to New York.”

“I know, but this is from my boss. She’s…requested your help with something.”

The detective’s eyes widened in disbelief; she noted his pause. “I’m sorry, what the hell is going on Agent Callen?”

Callen was close to just showing her the picture tucked away in his back pocket and demand an explanation from her there and then, despite what Hetty had told…ordered even…him to do, when a tingling sensation crossed the back of his neck. Almost simultaneously Kimberly had focused on something behind him, her forehead creasing before her eyes widened, this time in alarm.

“Get down!”

She grabbed his arm and yanked him down with her, just as gunfire erupted behind them.

* * *


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Callen wasn’t quite sure what had happened. He had been seconds away from simply arresting the woman he found slightly too captivating (stop it!!!) to make it easier to bring her in, the next thing he knew he was crouching behind a security desk just as the sound of gunfire filled the building. The screams started a second later as people panicked and fought to get away or under cover. What the hell was going on? There had been no indication there was going to be an attack on the airport, no reports of suspicious behaviour or any sort of chatter.

A soft curse next to him pulled Callen’s attention to the woman he had come charging in after. He saw Kimberly peering around the desk before pulling back and turned to look at him with worry splashed across her face. “I don’t have a clear line of sight to tell how many shooters are here. All I can see are people running around. How long will it take for your team to get here? Even with airport security, I’m not liking our chances.”

Callen was in the process of pulling his phone out, nodding as she spoke. “Fifteen minutes at a push. Though knowing them, they’re already on their way.” He couldn’t say that he knew they were already en-route, Hetty having sent then out whilst he had been on the phone to her earlier. “Hopefully U can get us some more eyes as well.” He hit speed dial, cursing the fact that he hadn’t picked up his ear wig earlier, and was almost instantly connected to OPS. “Eric, we’ve got a bit of a situation at the airport.”

“I know. We’ve been trying to find you and the Detective on the security cameras since you called us earlier. The others are on their way but LAPD are calling the shots, don’t ask me why. It could be another twenty minutes before they start to storm the building, can you hold out that long?”

The crack of a gun being fired next to him had Callen’s head spinning around to see Kimberly take one of the gunmen out with a single shot. The action left him feeling both impressed with her ability, and disturbed because he hadn’t even noticed her drawing a weapon, moving to a position to take the man down, or to grab her bag which now lay beside her. Maybe he wasn’t quite as ready to come back to work as he thought. Hetty was going to kill him.

Too late to think about that now. “We’ll be fine. Just tell the others to get in here as soon as they can, forget what LAPD says. Find out how many shooters there are, and if the other agencies are sending anyone.” He hung up and scrambled over to Kimberly. “Clearly I was being optimistic, backups still 20 minutes out, at least. Fancy sticking around that long?”

Kimberly turned her head to look at Callen. “You mean I have a choice?” She grinned at him. “Not a problem Agent. Now, how are we handling this?”

He answered her grin with one of his own. “Cover me.” Without waiting for a reply he ducked down, counted silently to three and launched himself over to a nearby counter. A rain of bullets followed him but none hit, possibly a sudden string of good luck. Kimberly tracked his path but was unable to let off any covering fire; none of the gunmen in the immediate vicinity were in sight. Something wasn’t sitting quite right with her. Everything about the attack seemed completely random, but the gunmen weren’t shooting wildly into the crowds. There was no panic fire indicating first-timers, only short, sharp bursts suggesting they were only firing if a target was presented. Both good and bad news. Great.

Callen pulled his gun out just as his phone pinged an incoming message. “What now?” Kimberly hissed at him.

He read the text quickly before glancing at the Detective. “Apparently to the eyes in the sky there’s sixteen targets, but possibly more. They’re centred in this terminal but all spread out, some in the departures lounge and others are downstairs at check-in. Oh great, LAPD is on scene but won’t move in till the FBI and SWAT arrive. Apparently they can’t come in guns blazing whilst there are still civilians that can be used as hostages.”

He saw Kimberly roll her eyes in disgust. “They have the nerve to call themselves cops with that attitude? And who the hell says guns blazing?” Something was telling her she wouldn’t be leaving anytime soon. She bit her lip, chancing a glance around the side of the counter before looking back at the federal agent. “Okay, all airports have the same basic layout. If we can get to the service corridors we can split up and take these idiots out.” She caught Callen staring at her and suddenly felt a little self-conscious. “What? Do you have a better plan?”

Callen shook his head, unable to stop the grin. “No, not at all. I’ll go down, you stay on this floor?” Kimberly nodded. Seconds later they were slipping through an access door that had conveniently been left open. They stayed together until they reached a stairwell heading down to the check-in desks. Sparing a glance at each other they nodded before separating, Callen heading slowly down the stairs whilst Kimberly continued down the hallway, gun held loosely in front of her body, heading for the closest service door leading to the departure lounge. Coming across a small alcove she tucked her bag away and also slid her shoes off before carrying on. Heels were great for meetings, not for armed conflict. She would rather have her feet cut up from glass than risk a twisted or broken ankle.

Callen watched her turn a corner before continuing down the stairs, hoping he could trust her and praying backup would arrive soon.

* * *

“How long until Mr Hanna and the others arrive at the airport Mr Beale?” The voice of Hetty Lange drifted through OPS, preceding her arrival.

“Ten minutes Hetty. They’re going as fast as they can.” Eric was tracking the position of the team whilst also trying to keep an eye on Callen. “FBI and Homeland are also getting into place…who is he talking to?”

The manager looked over her tech’s shoulder, watching the security feed he’d hacked into. “The young woman who met Mr Callen and Mr Hanna, and the same woman I need to talk to. There are some questions I have. Has Miss Jones had any luck identifying who these assailants are yet?”

Eric shook his head. “Not yet.” He paused before looking at the older woman. “Can we trust her Hetty?”

She sighed heavily, watching her Senior Agent, a man who mere weeks ago had been at death’s door, manoeuvre through the airport. “I do not know Mr Beale, but as it stands right now, we do not have a choice.”

* * *

Callen knew that as soon as he and Kimberly started firing back at the shooters they would very quickly become targets. He was hoping that the death of the guy Kimberly had already shot would be attributed to armed security. He also knew that as soon as he started shooting, more people would get caught in the crossfire. His phone chimed again; glancing at the screen Callen saw another message from Eric. **“Service door on left. Cover to the left, one assailant directly in front.”** Thank god for his team. The door wasn’t open yet so an alarm would sound the second he opened it, somehow he didn’t think anyone would notice. Easing it open he immediately found the man Eric had warned him about, fortunately turned away. Taking a chance Callen crept up behind him and wrapped a strong arm around the man’s neck, cutting off his air. The guy struggled briefly before succumbing; Callen eased him to the floor and grabbed his gun and a cell phone.

Crouching behind another desk Callen made out another man taking aim at a group of kids. Without hesitating he opened fire, tapping the man twice in the chest. He went down like a sack of potatoes as a security officer led the group away from the shooters. Callen found he had caught the attention of yet another shooter, but he was taken down by airport police. The NCIS agent flashed his badge at the officers who nodded and the three men started working as a team. At least he’d found some sort of backup, but where the hell were the police? And how was Kimberly faring?

* * *

Screams continued to echo throughout the departures lounge as the East Coast detective crept from cover to cover. She’d managed to snag a badge from one member of security who had already been hit and was using it to open doors into the service corridors, trying to get as many people out as possible. The problem though was that there were just so many of them. Planting herself behind a convenient column as men wearing familiar black clothing came into view she took a second to centre herself before taking aim. As soon as she took out one shooter the others focused on her location and let rip with their weapons (frecking assault rifles by the looks of it.)

She was forced to abandon the column for a counter that offered more protection, cursing as several more civilians were hit. Bullets hit the stone wall behind her, sending debris flying; Kimberly winced as stone fragments cut into her arms and face. This day really wasn’t turning out how she had planned. Dropping to the floor she peered through a gap and saw the boots of one man who was advancing on her position. Aiming carefully the detective waited till the left boot lined up perfectly and pulled the trigger. A howl told her she hadn’t missed, along with the crash as the man fell to the floor. Without hesitating she pulled the trigger again, tapping the man in the forehead. Forcing herself not to think about what she had just done Kimberly scrambled to the end of the counter, lining up the next target. Thinking about the lives she had taken would come later. Staying alive and getting as many people out safely was the priority.

* * *

The clicking noise of an empty gun chamber sounded and Callen shoved his gun away, picking up the gun he’d acquired earlier, cursing that he hadn’t picked up a spare magazine. He hadn’t exactly expected to be in a shootout when he left this morning. If only his doctor knew what he was doing right now; Callen was reasonably certain that this wouldn’t be listed under ‘light duties’. Back to the here and now, he was using an unfamiliar gun with an unknown amount of ammo, and just so happened to be pinned down. Three assailants had him cornered, stuck behind an information sign of all things, and he had no clear shot. His phone started buzzing in his pocket and he pulled it out, hitting answer. “Please tell me you’re about to appear from around the corner Sam.”

“Not quite partner. We’re outside but LAPD aren’t letting us past. Not till SWAT arrives which won’t be for another five minutes. According to them this is a hostage situation and needs to be handled by the professionals.” Sam sounded frustrated and if the situation wasn’t quite so dire Callen would have laughed. As it was he let out a huff, just as another volley of bullets flew past him. How much longer till their guns ran dry? At least these three weren’t particularly sharp shooters. “What was that G?” Evidently Sam had heard the familiar sound of bullets passing by far too close for comfort.

“The er…hostage situation Sam. I’m pinned down. Three guys are on me and I have no clue how many more there are.” He got two shots off, feeling pleased when one hit a target but hissed as stone fragments cut into his arm. “The detective we talked to earlier is still here. She’s helping, but I’ve lost sight of her.”

Sam grunted. “FBI’s here and there’s one guy who looks like he’s in charge. Homeland is pulling up so we have enough bodies to storm the place. LAPD will have to…” whatever else Sam was about to say was cut off as Callen’s phone was, quite literally, shot out of his hand. He dropped to one knee and spun around, tapping one of the men twice in the chest. The last guy concentrated his fire on the agent but was taken out…though not by him. Even as he was trying to work out who shot the guy Callen saw two more gunmen emerge from…somewhere. He ducked behind another billboard as they also opened fire, dodging bullets as he went. He would be able to take out one of the men from his new position, but it would leave him open to the other shooter. A flash from a balcony above him caught his eye briefly. Callen could only hope he wasn’t about to have to deal with gunfire raining down on him from above either.

A scream caught his attention and Callen forced his attention back down to his current position. The latest round of bullets whizzed past, missing him completely but had flown into a group of people cowering behind him. Apparently one person had been hit, possibly more. He was quickly running out of time. It was probably going to be easy to take out one of the shorts, but he knew it would result in him getting shot. Again Yep, Hetty was going to kill him. As he peered at the two shooters he saw a glint of something red on one of their chests…specifically on the guy he couldn’t get a clean enough line of sight on. It was a dot, moving slowly up the man’s chest. That dot spurred him into action, dropping to one knee and aiming for a second before shooting at the man closest to him, hoping his gut instinct hadn’t just gotten him killed.

The sound of two bodies hitting the floor reached his ears, along with the familiar faint ringing as the sounds of gunfire abruptly ceased. Callen waited a second before rising, keeping his borrowed weapon raised as he stepped around the battered billboard, eyes raising to the balcony above him. What he saw had him stopping in disbelief. A sniper. An honest to god sniper was staring down at him, a cocky grin on his face. Callen gripped his gun a little tighter until the man, slowly, pulled out a badge and held it up. Callen could see it despite the distance, and the man’s words had his stance relaxing slightly. “FBI.”

Callen nodded. “NCIS.” The other man continued to grin as he stood up, resting his rifle against his shoulder. “Its clear out here. Don’t know about the other side.”

“I’ve got someone over there, but she might need a hand.” The other guy raised an eyebrow as he glanced down at his phone. “You in contact with anyone outside?”

The stranger nodded. “Yeah, one of the Bureau teams. You?”

Callen shook his head. “My team’s outside, but my phone was killed. Get them in here, I’ll see what we’ve got left.” He ran to the service door he’d used earlier rather than waiting for a reply, dodging bodies and people scrambling for the exits. He only paused long enough to search the body of another gunman, relieving him of a gun and several magazines. Feeling a bit more secure now he had more ammo on him, Callen stepped into the corridors, running up the stairs and taking the same path the detective had earlier. He hoped she was okay.


	6. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

**((I am drawing heavily on artistic licence for part of this chapter. I am aware that the departure lounge in Terminal Four of LAX is on one floor, but in order for the events of this chapter to work, the food court is on a second level inside the terminal. Please don’t be angry with me.))**

* * *

Kimberly watched in disbelief as yet another gunman made an appearance. This would make number twelve. Just how many more were there? The members of security she’d come across were busy evacuating as many civilians as possible, leaving her and two armed officers to deal with the assailants. She had officially decided, after shooting the fourth man, that she hated LA. She hoped that Callen was faring better, and had managed to get some more help. She sure as hell could do with some.

Noting a set of stairs she signalled to one of the men helping her before backtracking in a crouch. The stairs led to a spacious food court, now deserted, with a large balcony giving her a clear line of sight to the terminal. Kimberly immediately spotted two gunmen bearing down on a family and opened fire. The only downside to her position was the entire balcony was made of glass and afforded her very little cover. It meant that the second of the pair she had been aiming at began firing back, drawing her attention completely and leaving her oblivious to the dark shadow slinking up behind her.

* * *

Upon entering the main part of the terminal Callen could hear the distant sound of gunfire being exchanged. He noticed that the majority of the civilians had cleared out when he heard the sound of someone coming up behind him. The agent spun around, raising his gun, and only just managed to _not_ pull the trigger as he recognised the sniper. The guy held up his hands in a half-gesture of surrender, a handgun held loosely in one hand and a sporting a cocky grin. Callen noted the sniper rifle was across the man’s back, and lowered his weapon. “Are you trying to get shot?”

The man had the audacity to laugh. “Not if I can help it. Find who you were looking for?”

Callen shook his head, then pointed down the length of the terminal. “I’m guessing we follow the sounds of guns.” He started creeping forward again, every sense alert and his body tense. He noted the man was copying him, only on the other side of the corridor, and made a mental note to grab his name after they had wrapped everything up.

Because the sound of gunfire was still so loud neither man was aware of what was happening above them, until two bodies fell directly in front of them, one hitting the stone floor hard and the second falling on top of the first. Both men sprang for cover, Callen behind yet another billboard (just how many did this place have?) and the sniper behind an overturned table. Gunfire continued to be heard for a second before everything abruptly fell silent, leaving Callen wandering what the hell was going on. Slowly the ringing sounds left his ears and he became aware of the few people who were left in the terminal either screaming, shouting or sobbing.

“Ouch.” The soft exclamation of pain had Callen peering around the billboard. Lying a few feet away from him, on top of the body of a man who could only be another assailant based on his clothes, was Kimberly. She rolled slowly off of the prone form onto the ground, shards of glass crunching beneath her. After a quick visual check to make sure there were no more gunmen Callen ran over to her, dropping his gun to the ground as he knelt beside her.

“Hey, you okay?” He asked the question softly, even though he knew it was a pretty stupid thing to say. She had just fallen from…yep a balcony, one that looked to be close to two stories high.

The detective nodded her head slightly, opening her eyes to stare at Callen. Her vision was a little blurry, her head and back ached and she was pretty certain she had twisted something. “Yeah, I’m good. That many not have been such a good idea though.” She groaned as she pulled herself into a sitting position, holding her head as her vision swam. Movement to her left had her reaching for her gun, one that was no longer in her hand, and Callen grabbed her as her body listed to the side.

“It’s okay, he’s with the Bureau.” He held onto her shoulders until she focused on him again and her body straightened up.

Kimberly finally registered Callen’s words and raised an eyebrow. “Backup finally arrived huh?” A grin twisted her mouth as she stared up at the stranger.

The man barked out a laugh. “Nahh, they’ve only just breached the building. I was already inside, just flew in from Hawaii. How’s your head?” Evidently he’d noticed the same bruising Callen had seen on the side of Kimberly’s face, along with several large cuts that were still bleeding.

The woman shrugged, grinning weakly. “Tough. Sore as hell, but tough. Like I said, I’m good.”

Callen barked out a laugh. “Yep, definitely like me.” He watched as the other agent made his way over to the assailant Kimberly had landed on and began checking for life signs. He also became aware of the distant shouts of _FBI_ and _LAPD_ echoing through the large building. “Sounds like that backup’s finally here.” He turned back to Kimberly. “How many did you count?”

“Counted twelve. The mattress there makes thirteen. You?”

“Nine. Looks like there were more than could be seen on the security cameras then. Out of professional curiosity, how many did you tag?”

Kimberly let out a huff of a laugh. “Eight of them.” Seeing Callen looking slightly taken aback she shrugged. “There were a few security with weapons on this side. Besides, guys aiming weapons at civilians is a bit of a sore sport for me. Speaking of sore, I’m sitting on glass. Ouch.”

Callen laughed as the sniper walked up to them, his handgun holstered which had Callen figuring there were no more assailants to worry about. He stood up and both men offered a hand to the detective. Grimacing slightly at the chivalry Kimberly grabbed their hands and let them pull her to her feet. The room span a little, but as long as she stood still she was okay. And kept her weight off of her left leg. So much for not twisting an ankle. “So, anyone know what this was all about?” Callen asked the question as he dropped her hand.

“Beats me, this is your city Agent Callen. You’re the one on top of everything right?” Kimberly’s voice trailed off as she took in the scene of carnage around them. It was obvious that no one was on top of anything right now. Her brain finally snapped into focus and she frowned, looking up at the blue-eyes agent. “What were you doing in here? You found me before the shooting started, said your boss wanted to see me. Did this have anything to do with that?”

* * *

Callen stared at the woman standing in front of him. He could lie, hell there were four lined up, fighting for space on the tip of his tongue. All he had to do was say yes. He was an expert at lying; practically his job title _and_ description. And with the exception of Hetty (whom nobody could lie to) no one was able to tell when he was lying. Not even Sam. But now? Looking down at the young woman Callen desperately wanted to lie. He found himself not wanting to know the truth. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Before he could say anything the sniper (Christ, he’d completely forgotten about the other man; he really shouldn’t have come back to work) stiffened, his body turning slightly to the direction of the security desks. “Incoming.” The sound of booted feet reached their ears. Callen grabbed his gun from the floor and spun around, Kimberly at her side with her backup and the sniper brought his handgun up, all aiming at the newcomers.

“LAPD. Hands in the air!”

“FBI. Do it now!”

Scores of police, SWAT and people wearing distinctive FBI baseball caps and bulletproof vests were spilling into the hallway. _About bloody time_, Kimberly thought to herself, noting out of the corner of her eye the sniper lowering his gun with a grin. He flashed a badge at the first person he saw before heading over to a cluster of Feds without a backwards glance. _Prick_, the uncensored thought floated through her head as she straightened up, slightly too quickly as the room swam again. Lowering her gun Kimberly grabbed her badge and held it up as two officers approached her.

Callen had also straightened up, but he walked off without sparing the officers, or her, a backwards glance. Kimberly was surprised at how much that stung. She watched him holster his gun as he walked over to three people who had just entered the hall. She forced her attention to the two officers closing in on her, both taking note of her badge. Lowering her gun Kimberly grabbed the shield from her belt and held it out to the two men.

“I’m Detective T-Driscoll, NYPD. I was here in the airport when things started going pear shaped, thought I would lend a hand.”

“Oh really? And just who do you have that can vouch for you, _Detective?_” One of the officers asked with a sneer on his face, voice dripping with sarcasm when he mentioned his rank. He grabbed her badge and glanced at it with a scoff; Kimberly decided there and then she wanted to hit him.

“I can Officer Mernandez. I was escorting the Detective through the airport when these men opened fire on unarmed civilians.” The male voice came from behind the two officers and they turned to see Callen standing behind them. Kimberly raised an eyebrow slightly at the lie as Callen glanced at her, his eyes imploring her to go along with him. Three people stood behind him; Agent Hanna and two others she assumed were a part of his team. Sam smiled at her and she returned the gesture, genuinely glad to see them.

“What were you doing in LA, Detective?” Mernandez’s partner asked the question, thankfully. He had also taken her badge from his partner’s hand whilst the other cop glared at Callen. He holstered his weapon and Kimberly finally lowered hers, aware of teams of armed people sweeping and securing the airport. She also made out two FBI agents walking up to their little group as she answered the question.

“Following up on a case with NCIS. They recently apprehended a terrorist group NYPD has an unfortunate…history with.” The East Coast native was starting to become aware of a slight ringing in her ears. “I’d come out here to retrieve some sensitive information NCIS had on the incident. It wasn’t exactly something they could mail in the post; a lot of that information is highly confidential.”

Sam, bless him, nodded in agreement. “Yes it is. My partner and I met up with Detective Driscoll this morning as she was passing through the city.”

Mernandez began to scoff, muttering about federal agencies but Kimberly turned the idiot out. She knelt down to slip her gun back into her ankle holster, bending her head to make it look like she was staring at her foot when in fact she had her eyes closed to stop everything from spinning. The ringing in her ears kept rising and fading, and she was starting to feel nauseous. Taking a deep breath she spoke over the LA officer. “It was believed by my boss and the NCIS Operations Manager here in LA that the group this team dealt with was linked to a group of drug dealers that blew up the New York Crime Lab eight years ago. If that’s true, and the two groups are indeed the same, we need to know.” Kimberly opened her eyes and looked up at the two officers. “This is a personal case for my team. I was the only person who could come out here to collect this information, and before you start drawing up wild theories no one knew I was going to be in LA. I don’t know what happened here, but it wasn’t anything to do with me, or the information I was carrying.”

“What is the name of the group?” One of the FBI agents spoke up; when Kimberly looked over at him she saw it was the as-yet unnamed sniper. “The Celtic Militia. I’m reasonably confident they’re tied to the group from New York, though if that’s the case, they’ve evolved.”

“And where is this important, confidential information of yours?” Mernandez stared down at her, a leer in his eyes and Kimberly fought down a shiver. The man was creeping her out.

“In my bag, tucked away in the service halls. Kinda hard to take down armed hostiles with a bag swinging from a shoulder.” All of the agents smiled at that. “I should go and grab that.” Despite standing up slowly the room still lurched, the pain in her head increased and she really had to fight against the bile flooding her mouth.

Callen noticed her face pale and he frowned. “You okay?” He was too focused on the woman to notice the sniper slowly shifting his body weight.

Kimberly nodded, clamping down hard on the nausea. She was _not_ going to throw up. Not in front of witnesses at least. “Yep, I’m fine.” She started to walk forward, determinedly ignoring the wobble in her left leg, only to be brought up short when the ass of a police officer grabbed her arm.

“The airport hasn’t been secured yet. Nor have I seen you’re right to carry or use a weapon. You’re staying here.” She glared up at his smug face. Yep, she definitely wanted to hit him.

“This place is crawling with LAPD, FBI and Homeland. I’ve just taken down eight of those idiots who were trying to murder everyone in this building whilst _you_ were standing around outside taking your own sweet time getting in here. If I hadn’t of done my…_our_ job, more innocent people would be dead right now. I don’t have to show you shit, so get the hell off of me.” Kimberly wrenched her arm free and stepped out of reach of the idiot. But she miscalculated, and collided with an abandoned trolley. Normally she would have been fine, only she put her full weight on her dodgy leg. Combining that with the merry-go-round effect in her head she didn’t stand a chance at saving her dignity. Her leg gave way completely and she would have crashed down into the trolley if a pair of hands hadn’t grabbed her.

“Easy, easy. I’ve got you Detective.” An unfamiliar male voice echoed in Kimberly’s head and she closed her eyes as everything seemed to vortex around her. Her body sagged into the hands as they guided her to the floor. Okay, so maybe being hit around the head with a fire extinguisher had done a little more damage than she’d thought. Kimberly knew she had to tell the person holding her up what had happened, but couldn’t figure out how.

Mac was going to kill her.

* * *

Callen crouched down in front of the young woman, taking in her ashen complexion and unfocused eyes before looking up at the FBI sniper supporting her. “Quick catch.”

The guy grinned, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Didn’t think she was looking too good. Granger can you go grab a medic?” Callen glanced up to see the other Fed nod before hurrying off, waving to another guy and pointing in their direction.

“Kensi, can you and Deeks find her belongings? I think she left her phone in her bag, this is her number. Might help you find it.” He handed the junior agent Kimberly’s card and watched them head off before turning his attention back to Kimberly.

“What’s wrong with her?” Mernandez’s partner looked down at Kimberly, concern in his voice. Before Callen or the sniper could reply the insufferable made his presence known again.

“Just trying to get attention. Typical woman, sulking when there are people who really need help.”

Callen shot to his feet and spun around, catching himself just before he punched the idiot. “Tell you what, why don’t you go and jump off of that balcony above you _onto_ someone else and then tell me she’s doing this for attention.” Sam cleared his throat and the two partners exchanged a glance before Callen knelt back down in front of the female detective, a hand going to her wrist to check her pulse.

Sam turned to the two officers. “I don’t think we need you here anymore. Why don’t you go and make sure the rest of the civilians are being taken care of Mernandez. That might keep you out of trouble.”

Mernandez’s partner nodded his head with a grin and an apologetic shrug of his shoulders before dragging his sputtering counterpart away. Sam shook his head. LAPD. Nothing quite like them.

“Ian, you found another damsel to take care of?” Sam turned around to yet another new-comer – yet another FBI agent. The guy supporting the New York Detective chuckled as he looked up.

“I wouldn’t be too hasty calling her that Don. I think she’s a little trigger happy.”

The Fed grinned at the comment, though it fell a little when he saw who was on the ground. “Kimberly?”

Callen looked up at the man in surprise. “You know her?”

The man shrugged as he crouched down. “Barely. We met a little while ago, I only got her first name. I’m Special Agent Don Epps.”

“I’m Agent Callen and this is Agent Sam Hanna, NCIS.” Sam waved at the two men.

“I’d say it’s a pleasure, but considering the circumstances, maybe not so much.” Don looked up at the guy he’d called Ian. “And what are you doing here?”

“Passing through. I was going to swing by and say hi.” He looked from Don to Callen. “Ian Edgerton. Nice shooting back there.”

Callen raised an eyebrow as Don shook his head. “Thanks, you too I guess.”

“Please don’t encourage him Agent Callen.” Don shot a grin at his friend before turning his attention to the far too quiet woman in front of him. “Hello again, Kimberly. You’re not looking so great this time around.”

The young woman blinked her eyes open sluggishly, her gaze drifting until she was looking at Don. Her forehead creased slightly in confusion, but there was no other reaction. Frowning Sam rested a hand against her neck, feeling for a pulse. “Her pupils are dilated and her pulse slow. There’s one hell of a knot forming on her skull to, do you know if she hit her head?” He glanced at his partner who shook his head.

“No, we split up to try and take down as many shooters as we could. She fell from up there though; she could have hit her head when she landed.”

Sam frowned at his partners words. “She needs a hospital G; she could have a pretty serious concussion.”

“Find that medic now,” was Callen’s reply. Sam nodded and took off to the nearest exit where ambulances were starting to line up. Callen shifted forward a little and rested his hands on either side of her neck, supporting it as her head rolled forward and Ian tightened his hold on her arms.

“Do you know if there’s anything else wrong with her?” Don asked the other two agents quietly.

Callen shook his head. “Not for certain. Though she was holding herself quite stiffly; looking at the height of that balcony I’d be surprised if she comes out of this with just a concussion.”

Don couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. “She jumped?”

Ian replied. “Not sure, but she landed on our friend over there. Something happened to her leg though, she kept trying to keep her weight off of it when we were talking earlier.” Kimberly suddenly groaned softly, her lips moving slightly. The three men all leant in because it sounded like she was trying to say something, but her words were slurring alarmingly. “Did she say extinguisher?”

Callen nodded. “That’s what I got. God knows what happened up there.” He glanced over at Don. “One minute all we can hear are gunshots, the next she’s on the ground in front of us, using that guy as a pillow.”

Don laughed, though it was more out of disbelief than anything else. “Christ. She’s mad.”

Callen grinned, about to reply when Kimberly’s eyes rolled back into her head and her body slumped down, completely limp. Callen supported her neck and kept one hand at the back of her head whilst Don helped ease her down onto the floor. Ripping his jacket off Callen stuffed it under her head, Don doing the same for her legs to help elevate them a little.

Ian was checking her pulse as two EMTs rushed over to them, Sam right behind them. Don and Callen stepped back slightly to give them some room to work, Ian relaying information as Sam stepped up next to his partner. He stared at the younger man, raising an eyebrow slightly. “You know something?” His partner twitched his head slightly, questioningly. “Hetty is going to kill you when she catches up to you.”

Callen could only agree with him.


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All I can do is apologise for the wait between the last chapter and this one. Not much happens..well that's not true 'cause its over 3500 words. What I mean is there's not much action in this chapter. I would like to point out that I am not a doctor, nor am I any type of medical professional; I am taking artistic license for absolutely everything.
> 
> That said, I hope you enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> WARNING - There is swearing in this chapter, you have been warned.

Chapter Seven

_Beep_

_……beep……beep……_

_Beep…beep…beep…beep_

God she wanted to kill her alarm clock. Though when it started making that persistent, steady and quite frankly appalling noise was beyond her. Maybe Danny had changed all of her alarms again. Idiot.

The beeping was matching the pounding in her head, which was more than a little…

_Holy mother of hell_…she could suddenly feel her head and was wishing beyond all hope she couldn’t. Great gods, that hurt. And that blasted beeping was _still_ there. Her fingers twitched, catching on coarse sheets that were twisted around her hands. Since when had her sheets…since when did she have sheets? She had a quilt on her bed, not sheets like everyone else on the continent seemed to have. So why the hell could she feel sheets? The last thing she remembered…gods above, stop with the incessant beeping…crap! The airport!

Kimberly wrenched her eyes open, gasped as the light seared into her brain, and promptly shut them again. The glare caused the pounding in her head to intensify and bile to rise in her sore throat...weird…but the click of a switch echoed across the room, and the lights that was still seeping through to her eyes vanished.

“Sorry, I didn’t think you’d be awake for a while yet.” The voice was soft, gently almost against the pounding in her head. Kimberly’s eyes opened slightly, her vision taking a while to clear. When she was finally able to, she focused in on the owner of the voice. “A-Agent Callen?” Her voice caught in her throat and she started coughing, the pain in her head flaring up with a vengeance. The sloshing sound of water reached her ears and a second later she felt a straw being pressed against her lips. Lashes fluttered and her eyes finally opened again, focusing quicker on the agent who was holding a cup of water to her mouth. One small sip and cool liquid washing down her parched throat, easing the soreness almost instantaneously.

Callen set the cup down once Kimberly was finished and sat back down in the hard chair he had been occupying since she had been brought in. “How do you feel, Detective Taylor?”

Kimberly bolted upright in alarm, though caught herself with a groan as her head rebelled again. Callen couldn’t help but chuckle at the look she gave him – half glare, half bewildered – when she realised he was talking to her. “Don’t do that. I thought you were talking to my uncle.” She fell back against the pillows with a groan, wincing as her back started twinging painfully.

“Don’t you mean your boss?” There was a gleam in Callen’s eye; he knew he probably shouldn’t be doing this, and would most certainly regret it later on, but right now he couldn’t help it.

“Same difference.” Kimberly let out a slow breath as she all but forced her back to relax. Christ, she was going to be sore for weeks. Typical. The west-coast agents’ words finally registered with her aching brain and her eyes flew open…huh, when did they close? “What did you call me?” She was hearing things. She had to be.

The agent had to decency to look ashamed, if only a little. “Detective Taylor.”

“You’ve talked to Mac?” Dread was starting to curl in her stomach, which was a very unpleasant feeling.

The agent nodded. “Yeah, your phone was ringing non-stop. Apparently the incident at the airport has been broadcast pretty much everywhere in the country.”

“Fan-bloody-tastic.” Kimberly ignored the agents’ chuckle as she raised a hand to rub her forehead, her head an aching mess. Instead her fingers tangled in a rough bandage and she groaned softly. “Great. So how bad is it?”

“Not sure yet, they’re waiting to take you for a CT scan for your ribs and leg, and I think an MRI too. You were only brought in about half an hour ago, I should probably let someone know your awake.” Kimberly huffed out a laugh, cutting it off with a groan as her entire body seemed to object to the movement. “What?”

“While it’s great to know about my condition…and trust me I think I’m better off _not_ knowing…I was asking about the airport. How many people were injured or killed? Any idea who the shooters were?” Her voice cracked on the last few words…damn it!

Callen couldn’t fight back a grin at her questions; he was always asking after his health second wasn’t he? He grabbed the cup of water and handed it over to the Detective, noting her hands appeared to be a lot steadier now. “Numbers of dead still unconfirmed, at least fifty injured, half of them seriously. As for who the shooters were, we have no idea. There was no chatter, nothing to indicate there would be a hit.” He rubbed a hand across the back of his neck to try and ease the tension. “FBI and LAPD are working with us on this, trying to work out what the hell happened.”

Kimberly snorted, then winced against the flare in her head. “Really, the LAPD? They were shit out there.”

Callen couldn’t help but agree with her. “I know, but they’re the cops. We have to keep them involved.” He’d caught the wince and pressed the call button again.

“As long as that dickhead of a cop isn’t around, then I guess it’ll be okay.” Callen chuckled, leaning back in his chair.

“Yeah he should be far enough away. You plan on sticking around then?” He genuinely wanted to know what her plans were. If she had any of course.

“Well I doubt I’ll be leaving any time soon. Though that’s gonna fuck work up.” Kimberly groaned softly as she thought about the lab. Then she remembered why she was in LA in the first place and sat up straight. “The files?”

Callen started at her sudden movement. “They’re in your bag, on your right.” He watched as she saw the bag and her body practically wilted back into the bed, with a flash of pain crossing her face. “You alright?”

She nodded, feeling her body tinge uncomfortably. “Yep, though I probably shouldn’t have moved quite that quickly.”

“I’ll say.” The voice coming from the door startled Callen as much as it did Kimberly. Yep, he really shouldn’t be back at work yet, but there was no way in hell he was gonna be admitting that anytime soon. Still, he wished he didn’t recognise the voice.

“Hey Doc.” Callen flashed what he hoped was a self-assured grin, though from the raised eyebrow he received it clearly didn’t work.

“Agent Callen. When I said I didn’t want to see you back in here until your next check up I meant it. Do you live to make my life hard work?”

The agent chuckled as the doctor made his way over to Kimberly. “Admit it doc, you’d be bored without me.”

The doctor shook his head as he put a clipboard with a handful of papers attached to it on the bedside table before looking at his patient. He wore dark blue scrubs underneath a white lab coat, had short dark hair, a hint of a beard and clear green eyes that appeared to take in all that he needed to know about her. “Hi there Ms Driscoll. I must say I’m surprised to see you awake already.” He smiled at her in a reassuring manner.

“Oh god, that’s almost as bad as calling me Detective Taylor. It’s Kim. Kimberly T-Driscoll.”

“Good to know. I’m Dr Richardson but Mike’s fine. You certainly seem more alert than when you were brought in.” The doctor pulled a penlight from a pocket and shone it into her eyes, noting her pupil reaction as well as her cringe. “How’s the pain scale?”

“Out of ten? Eight.” The doctor…Mike…pulled back slightly and looked at her, an eyebrow raised. “Scout’s honor Doc, I don’t pretend to like hospitals but I don’t lie to those who know what they’re talking about.”

Mike turned to look at the agent. “Now why can’t you be like that?”

Callen’s look of innocence had Mike’s eyes rolling and Kimberly spluttering with laughter, mixed with painful sounding coughs. The doctor turned back to her, pulling a stethoscope from around his neck. “That sounds painful. How are those ribs?”

“Sore.” Kimberly focused on calming her breathing, wincing as she leant forward for the doctor to listen to her breathing. He helped her lie back on the bed and made a note on her chart. “You’ve definitely got a few bruised ribs but it doesn’t feel or sound like anything’s broken. Pupil reaction is within normal parameters and your speech is good, not slurred or hesitant. What about your memory? What’s the last thing you remember before being here?”

Callen watched quietly as Kimberly’s forehead creased in concentration. He was slightly dreading her answer, but was also curious as to how much she did remember.

“I was arguing with a cop. A sexist prat with a chip on his shoulder.” Callen tried, he really did, to smother his laugh. It didn’t work. “I remember a lot of screaming…and gun fire.” He swallowed, forcing himself not to look at the doctor. “There were other people there too, but I can’t really…”

“It’s okay, don’t force it.” Mike’s voice cut through to her and she blinked, focusing on him. “That was good. So we’re gonna take you down for some scans now; you have one hell of a bump on your head so we need to make sure everything’s okay…”

“Fire extinguisher.” Kimberly cut across him as she experienced a sudden flash of memory. Seeing the baffled look on both men’s faces she realised they had no idea what she was talking about. “Before I fell from the balcony…I was hit over the head.”

“With a fire extinguisher?” Mike’s voice was coloured by disbelief. Kimberly just shrugged.

“Well to be honest its not the first time that’s happened. Me and fire extinguishers have a long and complicated history.”

The doctor looked at her like she was a little bit mad. Callen looked like he was trying _not_ to bust a gut from holding back laughter. At least she hoped that’s what was happening.

“O-okay. So an MRI is a _must_,” Mike couldn’t stress that word enough. “We’re also going to perform a few x-rays, looking at your ribs, spine and leg. Nothing feels broken but we want to make sure.” Kimberly nodded, shifting a little on the bed and grimacing slightly. “Pain levels?”

She shrugged. “Not much worse than usual. Ears are still ringing slightly and everything’s a little blurry. Back aches but that’s pretty normal; I spend too much time hunched over lab equipment.” She paused and a frown flittered across her face. “I can’t move my leg.”

“Ah.” Mike reached for the bed’s controls and raised the top half of it a little so she didn’t have to move. “Mr Callen mentioned to the paramedics you were favouring it a lot at the airport, so they put a cast on it to prevent movement. Better to be safe than sorry.” Now that she was at a better angle Kimberly could indeed see the fabric cast encasing her left leg, from just below her knee down past her ankle, leaving her toes bare. She hadn’t even noticed, but now it had been brought to her attention, she realised her toes were freezing.

“Right. Makes sense. So then what? After the scans, if everything’s clear am I free to go?”

Callen didn’t even bother trying to hold back the laugh this time. She really was the female version of him. Not even a look from Mike was able to fully stop the laughter. “Why, do you have somewhere to be?” Poor Mike.

“Well I don’t know about you doctor, but I want to do everything I can to help find out what the hell happened at the airport.” Kimberly turned her head slightly to look at Callen. “What about you, Special Agent?”

The door opening saved Callen from answering. An orderly walked in and indicated to Dr Richardson that CT and MRI were waiting. “Let’s see what the scans reveal before anything else. And while you’re down there I’ll be talking to Mr Callen about what light duties are.”

Callen cringed. _Damn it._

* * *

“Alright Lieutenant , thanks. Keep me updated on any changes? Will do.” Callen ended the call and slid the phone into his jacket pocket, rubbing a hand over tired eyes and taking a swig from a bottle of water. God he could kill for a coffee, but he knew Hetty really would do away with him. Not to mention what Mike would do if he caught him. It’d been twenty minutes since the doc had left and his ears were still ringing from the lecture. Caffeine was out of the picture.

The call to New York hadn’t helped much. Kimberly’s uncle had been determined to come out to LA and had demanded to talk to Kimberly. Eventually, once Callen had explained what was happening now, he had calmed down, but was insistent that he be kept in the loop on everything. And wanted the number of Callen’s boss. He was a little hesitant but eventually gave the man Hetty’s contact number. She could deal with him. Callen ended the call soon after. He was jolted out of his train of thought at the sound of his phone going off again and he groaned. But tempted as he was to ignore it Callen knew somehow he would not be getting away with it.

Putting the bottle down he dug in his pocket for the offending piece of technology and pulled it out. Hetty. Great. She really was psychic. He tried to supress the sigh as he answered the phone. “Hey Hetty.”

“Mr Callen. How is everything going at the hospital?”

“Okay. Dr Richardson’s got her down in the scanners now she’s awake. Doesn’t look like she wants to be staying in the hospital any longer than she has too’ she’s said already she wants in on the investigation.”

“I see. She may be of some help, but I will wait to hear from Dr Richardson first. I have just reassured Detective Taylor that his niece is in safe hands and we will let him know if anything happens.”

Callen grimaced slightly at her words. “Yeah sorry for not telling you I gave him your number. He was insistent and before I could send you a message Lieutenant Peters called me.”

“It is not a problem Mr Callen. Now, have you had a chance to talk to Ms Driscoll yet.”

“Kimberly? No not yet. She had asked me why I had followed her yesterday when we were at the airport, but that was before FBI and LAPD finally stormed the building. Took them long enough.”

“Yes, Mr Granger is trying to get to the bottom of that as we speak. A team from the FBI is working with Mr Hanna and the others to find out who these perpetrators were and what they were trying to accomplish. Are you taking care of yourself Mr Callen?”

Callen rolled his eyes. Hetty was in her mother hen mode again. Fantastic. “Yes Hetty. I’ve managed to drink a bottle of water without spilling a drop.” The silence that followed his comment was cringing.

“Very well. I’m sure the FBI and LAPD will be grateful for her assistance, as will we. I also want to talk to her about that photograph.”

“Sure thing Hetty. I’ll let you know when I have an idea of when we are leaving.”

Callen ended the call and stared at his phone for a minute wandering if it would go off as soon as he put it back in his pocket. “Callen.” He looked up to see Mike Richardson walking towards him. Callen shoved his phone away and stood up to meet him. “Kimberly should be on her way back up soon. I’ve had a quick glance at the scans and am just waiting on a second opinion, but there appears to be very minimal swelling of the brain and no other contusions on her skull. Her spine is clear too, it appears to just be deep muscle bruising. She’s very lucky, all she’s gonna take away from this is one hell of a headache and a twisted ankle. Flying is out of the question for now though; although minor she does still have a concussion and I want to wait for that to clear before she leaves LA. If she comes back for a check-up in a week I should be able to clear her.

Callen nodded. “Okay, how long will it be now?”

Mike shrugged. “Should be another five or ten minutes before she’s brought back to the room, and unless the doctor giving me a second opinion says otherwise we should be able to release her in about an hour. That’ll give us enough time to sort her prescriptions out, okay?”

“Thanks doc, I’ll wait here for her to get back.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “This is not Loony Tunes, and you are not Bugs Bunny Mr Callen.” He walked away as the agent let out a tired chuckle.

Callen stretched out his legs with a groan. He’d been in the hospital for too long now and really wasn’t enjoying it. especially seeing as he was confined to one not all that long ago. Of course if anyone were going to be technical about it…cough, Sam…he should still be in hospital now. Which made him all the more anxious to get out. But he’d said he would wait for Kimberly. She didn’t know anyone here in LA and if he left now, especially after she’d offered her help, it wouldn’t be fair.

And Hetty would murder him.

Callen wondered briefly how people who didn’t have threats against their lives from their bosses lived.

Boringly most likely.

Of course there was also the fact that they needed to find out what the hell was going on with that blasted photograph. Callen pulled it out of his pocket and carefully unfolded it. What the hell was going on? Eric had run the man through facial rec and had come back with the man Kimberly called her boss…and uncle. Mac Taylor, Detective with the NYPD. Facial rec wasn’t needed on the two women; the younger one was clearly Kimberly and the older…Callen’s blood still ran cold as he looked at her. How was this possible? Could they be related? Kimberly looked nothing like her, nor did they sound the same. So why was her picture in this woman’s bag? Nothing was making sense, and Hetty wanted him to find out what he could.

Great.

“Agent Callen?”

His eyes flew open. When did they close? Christ, maybe he did need some more time off. He looked up at the man greeting him, taking a second to put a name to the face. He remembered that he was a fed, but the name was escaping him.

“Agent…”

The fed grinned, clearly not offended, and held out a hand. “Don Eppes.” Ah-ha, definitely beginning with an E then.

Callen shook his hand., “Right, sorry. The last few hours have been more than a little crazy.” Eppes nodded. “What are you doing here?”

“Running down a few leads. Thought I’d swing by and see how Kimberly was doing.”

Callen frowned a little. “How do you know her? She’s not from here.”

Eppes shrugged. “Met her earlier today at a diner. It was brief and I wasn’t expecting to see her again. Didn’t even know she was a cop.”

Callen snorted, mentally agreeing with the fed. “She woke up awhile ago and the doctors are finishing some scans. Sounds like she’s gonna be sore for a bit, but doesn’t sound like any lasting damage. Won’t be able to fly home till the doc clears her though.”

“Not that she’d be able to anyway. All airports in the major LA area have been closed down, along with many of the smaller ones too, until it can be determined this wasn’t a terrorist attack or a hijacking attempt etc.” Eppes rubbed a hand across his eyes. “My team is working with your guys to determine what the hell happened.”

Callen nodded, slightly irritated that Hetty hadn’t mentioned anything. “Is that at your place?”

The fed nodded. “Yeah, though a couple of your people are working remotely. Something about better tech.”

The NCIS agent snorted. Eric was such a diva sometimes. He groaned when his phone started buzzing, then groaned louder when he saw the caller ID. _Granger_.

Shit.

“You need to take that?” Callen looked back up at Eppes, seriously tempted to let the phone ring out.

“Not here. But I said I’d wait for Kimberly.”

“I can wait.” Callen raised an eyebrow and the fed shrugged. “I got nowhere to be for a while. My team’s still gathering info right now.”

Callen hesitated. What the hell was wrong with him? The call ended only to start up again a minute later. “Fucking hell, fine. I’ll be twenty minutes.” He stood up.

Eppes nodded. “Sure. What’s her room number?”

“316.”

Don nodded, watching as the Agent made his way down to hall towards the elevators. With a shake of his head he sat down in the vacant seat and waited for Kimberly to be brought back from her scan.

* * *


End file.
